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Title: Regarding investigation in Bofors case.

 

12.55 hrs. SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI (RAIGANJ): Mr. Speaker, Sir, with a heavy heart and anguish, through you, I want to convey to the entire House in the presence of the hon. Prime Minister, and the hon. Home Minister that hundreds and thousands of people from various parts of India have assembled today with the Congress flag at the Ferozshah Kotla ground since morning to register their justified grievances...(Interruptions)

Sir, on 21st May, 1991, at Sriperumbudur, the tragedy took place. Our great son of India, the late lamented leader Shri Rajiv Gandhi became a martyr on that day. During his death, no message was there because he could not speak. It was only an explosion. Possibly, he did say like this: "Let me be torn into pieces. Let nobody identify me after my death. But let the country remain united. Let the world recognise India as one." And that great leader, who was the architect of the Africa Fund, that great leader who instituted the institutions like the Panchayati Raj through the legislation, who was a visionary of the 21st century, who gave the voting right to the youth of eighteen years of age which was dawning after a few days all over India, had the courage of conviction to come before the House in 1991 to say this when Shri V.P. Singh was the Prime Minister: "Let the country and the Government, let the law of the land investigate whatever they can on the Bofors matter.

Sir, I would like to plead before the hon. Prime Minister that this is not the plea of the Congress people alone, but of all the sensible people of the country. The Government"s agenda, of course, is to find out the truth in the Bofors case. We also want that the culprits should be booked and punished. But in the name of the trial, please do not drag the name of the man who was not only innocent, but also a visionary of the 21st Century. He was the Leader of the House and was honoured by the President of India with the `Bharat Ratna". I would again like to say that the deletion of Shri Rajiv Gandhi"s name from the charge-sheet is not the plea of the Congressmen alone, but of all the sections of the intelligentia. The Government should not drag his name under the plea that the C.B.I. is doing it, because it is the same Prime Minister who said in the month of August that the Government would submit the charge-sheet after the second set of documents had been received. But the Government had filed the charge-sheet before the second set of documents are available. What was the hurry? (Interruptions)

SHRI L.K. ADVANI: He says:
"Any such direction or action by the Government will amount to an interference with the course of investigation and prosecution by the agency, namely, the CBI and would be impermissible in law."

Look at the words that are used... (Interruptions)

Sir, they may disagree with it, but I am merely quoting the opinion of the learned Attorney-General and I would beg to lay on the Table of the House the learned opinion of the Attorney-General in its entirety.

"...In the course of discussions that day, as for allegations that some people are being spared in the Bofors Case, these are entirely unfounded. Investigations are in progress and the CBI has the freedom to file supplementary chargesheet as and when documentary evidence against other persons mentioned in the FIR is received. The question of Government sparing anybody does not arise."